Seal-lock



E. MEISE.

(ModeL).

SEAL LOCK.

N0. 445,597, Patented Feb. 3, 1891.

PATENT T Prion.

EDUARD MEISE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SEAL-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,597, dated February8, 1891.

' Application filed May 23, 1890. Serial No. 352,919. (MotleL) To allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDUARD MEISE, a resident of Pittsburg, in the countyof Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Seal-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to seal locks for freight-cars, mail-boxes,express-boxes, 850., and relates to certain improvements in LettersPatent No. 380,446, granted to me April 3, 1888, and No. 395,792,granted to me January 8, 1889, one of its objects being to improve theconstruction of that class of seallocks in which the bow forms the bodyof the lock and the seal closes the bow by extending across between thearms thereof, though the invention can be employed with other forms ofbody or frame.

In the seal-lock embodying the present in vention I form in one of thearms of the body a seat to receive the end .of the seal, and I mountupon the other arm a seal-carrier, the other arm forming the shaft orbearing on which the carrier is mounted and'the sealcarrier by swingingon said arm and pressing against the opposite side of the seal from thatengaged by the seat on the other arm, and so holding the seal in place,the seal-carrier being arranged so that it will turn in but onedirection when locked, and when the seal is secured in place it beingnecessary to break the seal in order to free or open the lock.

The particular improvements embodying my invention will be hereinaftermore particularly set forth and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willdescribe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved seal-lock, showingthe same when open ready to receive the seal. Fig. 2 is a like viewshowing the same closed with the seal therein. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectionon the line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side view, the seal-carrier beingshown in section to show the interior construction of the lock. 'Fig. 5is a perspective view of the seal-carrier. Fig. 6 is a like view of theshouldered washer therein. Fig. 7 is a cross-section of the bow on theline 7 7, Fig. 4, the movable parts being removed; and Fig. 8 is a frontview of the lock, showing the seal therein.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

The seal-lock illustrated has the body or bow a formed of the arms I)cand connecting portion a, such as described in the patents granted tome as aforesaid. The arm b of the bow has formed thereon the seat e,which is rectangular in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 3, and has theshoulders e c at the top and bottom thereof to confine the seal withinthe seat, preventing the vertical motion thereof. The seat is formedrectangular in cross-section, as shown, so that the seal A may swinginto the same when held by the seal-carrier, as hereinafter described.The other arm 0- of the bow is formed of the annular head (I, from whichextends the shaft f, which is parallel to the arm 6, and forms the shafton which the seal-carrier g is mounted. Just below the head (1 and atits junction with the shaft f is formed the shouldered washer h, withwhich a shouldered washer 7t on or carried by the seal-carrier engages.The seal-carrier g fits around the shaft f, swinging thereon and beingconfined between the head d and the base-plate c, which is secured tothe shaft f below the seal-carrier. The seal-carrier carries aspring-operated shouldered washer 7:, or like device, which engages withthe shouldered washer h on the arm 0, and the construction of saidwasher preferred by me is illustrated in the drawings, this washer beingformed separate from the seal-carrier and fitting within the same andaround the shaft 1", the washer engaging with the carrier by akey-and-feather connection, as shown at Z, Fig. 3, so that it turnstherewith. The washer is preferably made of brass, as that metal willnot rust, and its vertical movement frees the operative parts of thelook from rust.

In order to permit of the vertical movement of the washer 7.; on theturning of the seal-carrier, I employ the heavy brass spring m, confinedbetween the face of the washer and the base-plate i, as shown. Thebaseplate 2' is secured to the shaft f by a pin a, which passes throughthe shaft, but the end of which does not extend through the opposite endof the base-plate, and this pin when driven to place and filed offrenders it prac- ICO tically impossible to open the lock. As theshoulder ofthc washer h if made of cast-iron is liable to break offunder a heavy strain, which might be brought against it through theseal-carrier, I prefer to employ an insertible steel shoulder 71,,fitting into a recess in the washer it, formed for its reception, theshoulder it having a tang 72, entering a cone spondingly-shaped bow inthe body. It is thus seen that I provide for the seal-carrier a means oflocking the same at a certain point in its movement, though it is freeto turn in the opposite direction, as desired. Formed in theseal-carrier and in line with the seat (2 of the arm Z), when thecarrier is in its locked position, is the groove or recess 1), one edge1' of which forms the shoulder, against which the front face of theseal-plate is pressed, while extending out from the opposite end of thegroove 1) is the tongue 5, which passes against the rear face of theseal, so that when the seal-plate is secured'in place its front faceengages along the side edges thereof with the seat 6 and shoulder r, andthe tongue s-by pressing against its rear face, holds it within theseats so formed for it and prevents its withdrawal therefrom. It will benoticed that the grooved recess 1) is made of greater width than thethickness of the seal-plate, and that the tongue 3 extends out from therear edge of said recess, so that it bears only upon the seal at a pointnear the center thereof. The purpose of this is to give free spacebetween the rear face of the seal and the tongue, so that there is noopportunity of the clogging of the recess by dirt or ice or such likemeans, and the proper working of the lock is always insured.

In the use of myinvention the boworbody is inserted in the hasp of thecar or box, and one edge of the seal placed in the recess 1) of theseal-carrier, its frontface bearing against the shoulder 7' thereof, andits rear face bearin g against the tongue 8 thereof, and upon theturning of the carrier the opposite edge of the seal-carrier is forcedinto the seat e,its front face bearing against said seat, and is heldtherein by the tongue 8, bearing against the rear face thereof. As soconfined the seal is prevented from longitudinal or vertical movement bythe shoulders e e of the seat 6 and by the'head d and base-plate 2' ofthe arm 0, while, as before stated, its front face bears at its sideedges against the seat 8 and shoulder r and its rear face is held by thetongue .9. lVhen the parts reach this position, the shouldered washers hand have passed each other and the spring m has forced the washer isinto line with the washer h, so that the sealcarrier 1) and its tongue 3cannot be turned back, and the seal-plate is thus confined within thehow, so that the bow cannot be opened until the seal-plate is broken.This may easily be done by grasping the seal-carrier and giving it aquick turn, when the leverage of the tongue 8 upon the rear face of theseal causes the fracture of the same.

The lock is of simple construction and can be formed at but slight cost,as practically all the parts can be cast to shape and require but littlefinishing. At the same time the washer and its operating-sprin g can bemade of brass and formed heavy and strong, so that there is no fear oftheir rusting or being eaten out by acid in an attempt to open the lock,while the necessity of any special shoulders or like devices upon theseal is overcome, the seals being simply rectangular pieces of glass orfrangible metal which require no special molds for their manufacture.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a seal-lock, a body having a lip or shoulder thereon, incombination with asealcarrier mounted therein and provided with alongitudinal groove or recess to engage with the seal, and a sealentering said groove and held by the seal-carrier against the lip of thebody, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a seal-lock, a bow having one arm provided with a seat to receiveone end of the seal, in combination with a seal-carrier mounted on thesecond arm and having a tongue extending out therefrom and adapted topress on the opposite face of the seal to that engaging with the saidseat, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a seal-lock, a bow having one arm provided with a seat to receiveone end of the seal, said seat having end walls to hold theseal againstlongitudinal motion, in combination with a seal-carrier mounted on theother arm and having a tongue extending out therefrom and adapted topress on the opposite face of the seal from that engaging with the saidseat, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In a seal-lock, a bow having one arm provided with a seat to receivethe end of the seal, in combination with a seal-carrier mounted on theother arm and having a groove or recess formed therein of greater widththan the thickness of the seal, said recess having ashoulder at theforward edge toengage with the seal, and a tongueextending out from therear edge to engage with the back of the same,

substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a seal-lock, a body having a seat to receive the seal and having ashouldered washer, in combination with the seal-carrier mounted on saidbody and having a shouldered washer to engage with the washe'r'of thebody, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a seal-lock, the combination of a shaft provided with a shoulderedwasher, a sealcarrier fitting around the same, and a shouldered washerfitting around the shaft and within the seal-carrier and engaging withthe seal-carrier by a feather, and a spring pressing against saidwasher, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

'7. In a seal-lock, the body to, having the shaft f, provided with theshouldered washer sertible shoulder h, in combination with the h, incombination with the shouldered washer seal-carrier mounted in said bodyand having is, mounted on said shaft, the spring m, and a shoulderedWasher 70 to engage with the 15 the seal-carrier fitting around saidshaft and inserted shoulder h of the Washer h, sub- 5 around said springand shouldered Washer stantially as and for the purposes set forth.

and engaging With the washer by a feather, In testimony whereof I, thesaid EDUARD andthe base-plated, confining said spring. and J MEISE, havehereunto set my hand. seal-carrier upon the shaft, substantially as andfor the purposes set forth. EDUARD MEISE" 1o 8. In a seal-lock, thecombination of the \Vitnesses:

body having a seat to receive the seal and a J. N. COOKE,

Rosa. 1). TOTTEN.

shouldered Washer h, provided with an in-

